Genre-based Approach
Learning a new genre for novice writers is usually a daunting experience. The principle reason why in genre-based approach there is evidence of writing development is because genre-based approach is analyzed putting into consideration the lexicogrammatical, organizational, and rhetorical features. Studies are also sensitized to the genre’s social context and the numerous methodologies employed to address certain prospects of a given disciplinary audiences. It therefore serves as a fundamental feature meant for the specific genre. It is, therefore, noteworthy that genre-based approach plays an important role in ensuring that a person who is new to a language understands what is entailed.
Language competence entails knowing the rules in writing, awareness of the structure of that language, genres awareness, and linguistic knowledge among other aspects. Students studying a foreign language can use this approach of genre-based. This approach is better than other writing pedagogies for writers since emphasis is put on the notion of genre which promotes writers’ understanding of the interrelatedness between the communication purpose and the features of the text at every discourse level. This therefore helps writers understand that various texts are written for different types of readers in a particular set-up. A genre-based approach possibly account for these various findings through the proper use of various thematic concerns and emphasize the significance of social and culture context of linguistic.
It also highlights on the significance of exploring both social and cultural context of language as used in a piece of writing. The context decides the purpose of text in terms of linguistic conventions. Genre-based approach argues that students can only produce a composition to be successfully accepted by a given English-language conversation community. Genre-based approach outlines the relationship between the audience, the purpose and linguistic choice. The three elements are intertwined in the sense that a writer before writing considers his or her audience or the readers.
Who is the audience? Depending on the age, educational level, experiences of the audience (e.g. effects of world war and cold war), the race, religion, the writer will know what to write on. Purpose for writing the text ranges from educative, reproach, criticize, ridicule to entertainment. The study that is underpinned by complete handy linguistics and engrosses the genre-based approach concerns the correlation between language and its function in social settings.
It is vital that educators help students develop a framework of Genre Based Approach despite all the challenges that the whole process poses.
